The Characters read Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
by AskEmily94
Summary: When Simon decides he wants to become a Shadowhunter and begins packing for the academy, he never expected for a book about the next year of his life to appear magically in the night with a note urging him and his friends to read it.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! Surprise! I'm not dead! I am so sorry for not updating my stories in forever. I have been super busy and have been focusing on writing my own stories. But after reading Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and watching the new Shadowhunters show, I couldn't get rid of the urge to write some fanfiction! So I've decided to start this new story. Hopefully I will stick to updating this one a bit better than my other stories. The reason I decided to write this fanfic is because I haven't seen any "Characters read the books" fanfictions when it comes to any of the side stories of The Mortal Instruments. Most fanfictions like this don't write the scenes from the book, so I never know what is happening or what the characters are commenting on. So I think I may include sections and quotes of the book, and I will sometimes skip sections of the story if it is nothing too interesting or important, as I don't believe it's against the rules to insert quotes, just the whole chapters. So we shall see how it goes! Anyway, this author's note is long enough, so I will let you get to reading the actual story. I hope you like it! Let me know in the comments, and you are more than welcome to leave suggestions for the story or something specific you want to happen- I may include it! Enjoy the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. This is a purely fan made story with quotes from the book in it. This story does not contain whole chapters from the book. Pieces and sections of the story are cut out. This is simply the characters reacting to some of the quotes. I do not own anything.**

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Simon's arms strained with the weight of the heavy duffel bag as he pulled it down from the shelf above his head. It came down with a crash and a pile of comic books came with it. They hit his head with a hard thunk and Simon groaned, thankful none of them were hardback. The bag was filled with a few old broken action figures, some books, and a board game Simon used to play as a kid. Most of the pieces were missing.  
Rubbing his head, Simon took the stuff out and placed it all on the shelf, along with the comic books he had knocked down. The sun was quickly sinking below the horizon, and Simon yawned tiredly. He rifled through his clothes in the closet and drawers before realizing he had absolutely no idea what to pack. Perhaps he should bring the pile of old comic books down after all. He might need something to keep him entertained. But would he ever even have time for entertainment? Did shadowhunters believe in fun? As he mentally debated how many pairs of underwear he would need, his ceiling light flickered ominously, threatening to give out and bathe the room in total darkness. Simon's stomach rumbled and he couldn't be sure if it was because he left the dinner table as quickly as possible before getting full, to escape the awkward silence with his mom, or if it was nerves. He sighed and decided it would be better to get some sleep and just pack in the morning. So he placed the bag beside his bed and flopped onto his mattress. Despite his rumbling stomach and extreme nerves, he fell asleep quickly. He never noticed as the room was dimly lit with a blue glow, or the thick book that appeared on his bedside table with a note tucked underneath it.

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Simon blinked and looked around blearily. He had forgotten to close his blinds before falling asleep and the sun shone through his window onto his face, waking him up earlier than he would have preferred. He rolled over and tried to resume sleeping before deciding it was hopeless. He rolled out of bed and gave a groan as his joints popped when he stretched. He stopped and sniffed. A strange smell permeated the air and he stopped to analyse it. Was that burnt sugar? It was much too early for his mom to be baking. He shoved it to the back of his mind and grabbed a random shirt and pair of jeans that were strewn across his desk from the night before and padded to the bathroom to have a quick shower. After Simon got dressed and felt slightly more awake, he returned to his room, wondering if he should start the coffeemaker or just pick a cup up at Java Jones after he was packed and ready for shadowhunter academy. His stomach turned. He drew a calming breath and walked towards his dresser before coming to a quick stop. He stared at his bedside table. A thick hardcover book sat on his bedside table along with a note, and Simon eagerly picked it up wondering if it was a present from his mom before leaving for 'military school'. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed the cover. The book was called Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and on the cover was a picture of him shooting a bow. Simon hesitantly picked it up before suddenly realizing it could have some kind of curse on it. Oh well, too late now, he thought. He slowly turned it over and read the back. His heart beat rapidly. Who wrote this book and how could they know so much about him? He hadn't even gone to shadowhunter academy yet! Was this from some warlock that predicted his future? Simon quickly grabbed the note. It read:

"Dear Simon Lewis and friends. No doubt you are wondering who sent you this book. You could say I am a friend of yours, if you will. I wish I could explain but it will have to wait. You will most likely be very distrustful, as you should, but try and think logically. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so very easily. I could have put a spell on the book that activates when you touch it, or I could have sent something more dangerous than a simple book. You will have to take my word for it when I say I don't want to hurt you- I want to help. This book explains the next year or so in your life. I want you and your friends to read it immediately. This book is a second chance. This book will give some insight in your friends' family and ancestors. This book is a chance to save a dear friend of yours. That dear friend is a person you do not know yet; His name is George Lovelace. You can have Magnus Bane contact him if you wish so that you can read the book together, but I firmly believe that you and your friends should read this book first before messing with the future. If you read this book and decide that you like the direction your life is heading, and you want things to happen exactly the same as in the book, then no harm done. Simply have Magnus put the book somewhere and administer a memory block so that you no longer remember reading the book, and as long as you get to the Shadowhunter Academy in time, things should go the same as they did in the book as long as your friends don't mess it up. That leads us to another thing- You should be getting this book the day you head to Shadowhunter Academy, which will not leave nearly enough time to read this book and make a decision. That is why I have written down a spell for Magnus Bane to use. Simply find a place you can stay at for a few days such as Magnus's apartment or the institute, and apply the spell on the location. The spell will create its own little bubble in time. It won't stop time entirely, but it will drastically slow it down. Everybody within the perimeters of the spell will feel time pass normally, and will age normally, but a day in this spell will only be a few minutes outside of it. This should give you plenty of time to read the book, take breaks and sleep, and make a decision about what you want to do. The people you should include when reading this book are Simon Lewis, Clary Fairchild, Jace Lightwood-Herondale, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, and Magnus Bane. You may include whoever you think should be there, but I recommend reading the book with these few people first, and if you think it's necessary, then re-read it with more people you wish to include. I believe that's it. I have attached the spell to the back of this paper. Please be hasty. Gather your friends and cast the spell quickly so as to ensure you have plenty of time. I believe that is it. You will hear from me in the future. Good luck Simon, and remember, anything that happens in this book, you can change."

Simon stood there for a moment after reading the letter, his brain trying to comprehend what was happening. Was this some kind of joke? How could someone possibly know exactly what was going to happen for the next year? He inspected a piece of paper with the spell on it that was attached to the note before deciding there was no way he would be able to decipher it. Simon didn't know what to do so he decided to follow the directions the note gave him and quickly called Magnus and his friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Simon quickly handed his cash over to the taxi driver and hopped out, book in hand. The door closed with a thud as the taxi driver sped off much too quickly to be safe, its tires squealing a bit as the car turned around a corner up ahead. Simon rubbed his palms on the legs of his jeans nervously as he climbed the stairs to Magnus's apartment.

After debating what to do for a moment, Simon had decided to follow the notes directions and called his friends to meet up. He had called Magnus first and asked if they could use his apartment, as well as where his apartment even was as he couldn't remember. He wanted to waste as little time possible if they decided to read the book after all, and if that is what they decided, then he wanted a good place they could cast the time spell on if need be. He had entertained the thought of staying at the institute for a moment before decided that both he and Magnus would most likely feel uncomfortable there, and if they needed anything, Magnus would probably have it at his place.

Simon felt guilty for being so nervous, after all, these people were his friends. But then again, his mind supplied, he didn't even really know who these people were. He was not looking forward to the pleading and distraught looks pointed in his direction when he saw them, this was why he wanted to go to the academy in the first place, but it looked like it was not to be. Though before they made any decisions, Simon wanted Magnus to check the spell out first in case it was really a fake spell or was for something bad.

Simon was buzzed into the apartment and he climbed to the top of the stairs. The door swung open just as he was about to knock, and his fist hung awkwardly in the air before he blushed and put it down again. Clary greeted him with a smile that did not reach her eyes, and ushered him in, closing the door behind him.

He stood awkwardly by the entrance as he noticed all the people gathered around the living room. They must have rushed to get to the apartment as fast as possible; Simon was expecting himself to be the first person there besides Magnus and Alec.

Jace greeted him with a smile, Alec gave him a short nod, Isabelle stared out of a window looking like she was in some kind of deep music video, and Magnus voiced what they were all thinking. "Simon, why the sudden meeting? Is something wrong? I was under the impression we were to meet up later to see you off and you didn't explain much in your phone call."

"That's an understatement. You didn't explain anything in your phone call," Jace pitched in.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to worry any of you, but something really weird happened to me this morning," Simon said as he took the book out from under his arm and gestured to the cover. "This appeared on my bedside table this morning with a note. It says it's about me." Clary gasped, Alec furrowed his brow, Isabelle suddenly appeared interested, and Magnus narrowed his eyes as he cautiously took the book from him. He inspected it closely before waving his hand over the book, softly murmuring an incantation as he checked for spells and jinxes. After a moment he deemed the book safe and free of foul play, but he continued to inspect the book and read the back of the cover aloud in puzzlement.

"Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn't sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be.

But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems." Magnus paused here to snort in amusement. "Like the fact that non-shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon's trained in weaponry- even if it's only from hours of playing D&D. Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy's illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane."

Silence rang throughout the room and Simon handed Magnus the note that had been left with the book. He read it to the group and all at once, the room erupted into noise. Everyone began to talk over one another and were starting to raise their voice until Magnus yelled for them to all be silent.

"We are never going to figure out what to do about this if we are fighting amongst each other. If what the note said is true, then we are going to have to figure out what to do fairly quickly. Simon should be leaving in just a few hours."

"How do we know if the spell is safe to cast?" Alec argued. "It could be a trick spell. We don't know if it really will slow time down."

Everyone agreed, even Simon, and Magnus inspected the spell attached to the note. "It's Purgatic- a demon language. I've never heard of this spell before and I don't know what the spell says word for word but I know it is talking about slowing down time. I didn't know such a spell existed and it's always a risk to use a spell you aren't familiar with but, should we decide to read the book, I think it should be safe."

"Who do you think sent the book? Do you think it was some kind of Warlock? How would they possibly know the future?" Clary asked.

"I know as much as you do, biscuit. It could be some kind of Warlock or Shadowhunter with a special gift to see the future, or maybe it was even one of us from the future, or an angel, or a demon; perhaps it isn't even real. There are too many possibilities. The magical residue on the book isn't familiar, I can't get any dna from it, and the letter is printed so I can't recognize the handwriting."

"Maybe they don't want us to know who it is for a reason. Maybe they know we wouldn't trust them," Speculated Jace.

"Why don't we stop speculating about things we won't be able to figure out until we read the book?" Isabelle asked as she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Because it's not safe to use an unknown spell and follow directions from some mystery person until we know what's going on," Protested Alec.

"As much as I don't like it, I think Isabelle is right. We are never going to get anywhere if we sit here and ask questions with no one to answer them. We either have to read it, or we don't; there is no inbetween," Said Simon.

"I think we should read it, "Clary decided. Isabelle, Jace, and Simon agreed. Magnus and Alec both agreed as well, but very reluctantly.

"We need to figure out if anyone else is going to read with us though. Once I cast this spell I highly doubt we will be able to come and go until I take it down again. I can look into who George Lovelace is if you want, I believe it is a Shadowhunter name, but we would have to be quick, we don't know if this boy would even believe or trust us, and the letter suggests us reading it on our own first," Magnus stated.

Simon thought for a moment. "I think we might just want to read it ourselves first and if we don't like what's inside then maybe we can see about reading it again with the people that need to read it. Unless you guys think you should have your parents here."

They all agreed it would probably be best if they read the book with only those that were currently inside the apartment.

"Then it's settled," Decided Magnus. "I will cast the spell on the apartment; that is, unless anyone needs anything first? I have plenty of spare bedrooms and food."

When no one protested he began to chant the spell. He channeled his magic through his body and into his hands as he spoke the ancient tongue. Slowly he lifted his hands in the air, raising a shimmering blue wall around the apartment that they could see through the windows. He finished the spell and pushed his hands forward, channeling the rest of the necessary magic through as the apartment shook and the spell settled. He lowered his hands again, feeling suddenly drained, and Alec quickly wrapped a strong arm around him and guided him to one of the sofas as he swayed. Magnus rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. "I think I was successful. It was a very powerful spell, it has drained most of my magic. I will probably be a bit weak until my body can build itself back up again."

Alec inspected the steady shimmering blue wall around the apartment and looked outside the window and the people on the streets. Everyone was incredibly still, moving even slower than a snail, almost to the point where they were hardly moving at all. "You were definitely successful- just look outside. Since the spell seemed to have worked as the note said it would, I think this book can most likely be trusted. We should probably start reading soon. Do you need to take a break first?"

Magnus shook his head. "I will be fine, I'm already feeling a bit better now that I'm sitting down. I think we should begin reading immediately; the curiosity is eating away at me."

"We could take turns," Simon suggested. He felt as if butterflies were dancing in his stomach from his nerves. "I can start first." They all agreed, so with more than a bit trepidation mixed with curiosity, he picked the book up and began to read.

"Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy."


	3. Chapter 3

**So, we are back it at with a third chapter! They have finally began reading from the book. I attempted to do a mixture of describing what Simon was reading, and adding in some quotes, so hopefully it isn't too awkward or hard to understand what's going on. Quotes from the book are in italics. And thank you so much to IzzyCharlie and bookgirl18 for leaving the sweetest reviews! I always try very hard to keep the personalities of the characters, and having someone tell me that I** **succeeded** **means so much to me! Thank you to bookgirl for the** **story** **recommendation** **. I took a look at it and I will** **definitely** **take note from it if I get stuck or if the story wont flow smoothly. In fact- I may read it just for fun, lol! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Reviews and feedback are much appreciated!**

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" _The problem was that Simon did not know how to pack like a badass."_

Jace snorted. "I don't think Simon knows how to do anything like a badass," he said with a grin.

Simon rolled his eyes. "Dude, I literally just started reading. Are you going to do this the whole time?"

Jace shrugged. "Probably."

Simon proceeded to read on about his struggle regarding his packing for the Academy. It was very weird to talk about himself in a third person sense. Actually, this entire situation was weird.

" _Simon was prepared for normal life. Which was why he was so completely unprepared to pack for going to an elite training ground where demon-fighting half-angel beings known as Shadowhunters would try to shape him into a member of their own warrior race."_

"Emphasis on try," Isabelle said. She was gracefully sprawled out on an armchair, both of her long legs dangled off of one of the arms. Simon was pleasantly surprised to hear her speak, she had been unusually quiet whenever he was around recently. The corner of her lips were pulled upwards into a slight smile to let him know she was joking. Simon returned the smile somewhat hesitantly and continued reading about his other self packing hilarious T-shirts.

" _Shadowhunters had to love hilarious T-shirts, right? Everyone loved hilarious T-shirts."_

"Considering you are going to an academy to train you how to slay demons and save the innocent, I don't know hilarious T-shirts are really the appropriate attire," Alec interrupted. Magnus hummed slightly in agreement. "Well excuse me for not having a wide selection of all black clothes and combat boots," Simon defended. He continued reading.

" _I don't know how they feel about T-shirts with dirty jokes on them in the military academy, sport," said his mom. Simon turned, too quickly, his heart lurching up into his throat. His mom was standing in the doorway, arms folded. Her always worried face was crumpled slightly with extra worry, but mostly she was looking at him with love. As she always had. Except that in a whole other set of memories Simon barely had access to, he'd become a vampire and she'd thrown him out of their house. That was one of the reasons Simon was going to the Shadowhunter Academy, why he'd lied to his mom through his teeth that he desperately wanted to go. He'd had Magnus Bane- a warlock with cat eyes; Simon actually knew a warlock with actual cat eyes- fake papers to convince her that he had a scholarship to this fictitious military academy. He'd done it all so he would not have to look at his mom every day and remember how she had looked at him when she was afraid of him. When she betrayed him."_

Simon faltered slightly as his throat grew tight. He tried to ignore the heavy, somber, feeling of the room and the pitying glances. He kept reading his and his mom's conversation aloud.

" _Simon knew he was being unfair: His mother had thrown him out thinking he was not really Simon anymore but an unholy monster wearing her son's face. Yet he still felt she should have recognized him and loved him in spite of everything."_

"Yes, she should have," Clary said, her lips were drawn into a small frown. She touched Simon's arm gently. Simon had barely begun reading the book- they were in the first chapter and he already hated doing this. He wished he had just burnt the stupid book and hadn't even told anybody. He hadn't realized it would be putting his emotions and thoughts out there for everyone to see. He didn't know how to respond so he kept reading about his mom and his sister's support and the card she had sent him.

" _It was something, but it wasn't enough. He could not stay here, caught between two worlds and two sets of memories. He had to escape. He had to go and become a hero, the way he had been once. Then all of this would make sense, all of this would mean something. Surely it would not hurt anymore. Simon paused before he shouldered his bag and departed for the Academy. He put his sister's card in his pocket. He left home for a strange new life and carried her love with him, as he had once before."_

Simon finished and the room was heavy with silence. He cleared his throat. "I think that's the end of the chapter. Should I keep reading?"

"I can read next," Clary offered. "We can go in a circle so every time we finish a chapter the book goes to the person on our right."

"That sounds good," Said Magnus. "But first-" He snapped his fingers and cups of coffee from Java Jones appeared on the table, as well as some milk and sugar.

"Magnus!" Alec reprimanded. "I left money!" Magnus defended. Alec squinted his eyes at him before apparently deciding he was being honest and grabbed a cup of coffee. Clary grabbed one still black as well, but Magnus, Simon, and Jace added a bit of milk and sugar to theirs before sipping at it. Isabelle added so much milk in hers it was nearly white and then proceeded to shovel spoonful after spoonful of sugar into her coffee. She stopped when she noticed everyone staring at her. "What?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Everyone looked away.

"Okay, I guess I'll start reading then?" Clary questioned after she took a small sip of her steaming coffee. Everyone murmured their agreement and her voice filled the air as she began to read.


	4. Chapter 4

**We are back with another chapter! This one turned out a lot longer than the others, which I suppose is better for you all. It was a bit hard to have everyone react to Simon's darker thoughts- especially his wanting to get away from them all, but I did my best. Hopefully you guys enjoy it! Reviews and advice are much appreciated!**

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In the book Clary read from, Simon had just arrived at the institute and walked along the snaking path that led into the garden.

" _Sitting on the stone bench in the middle of the garden were Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, a Shadowhunter who was tall and dark and fairly strong and silent, at least around Simon."_

"Oh, we finally get to see what you think about us," Isabelle said teasingly. Her eyes burned with curiosity and a bit of trepidation and Simon's heart began thumping faster as he realized that's exactly what they were all about to hear.

" _Magnus was chatty, though, had the aforementioned cat eyes and and magic powers, and was currently wearing a clinging T-shirt in a zebra-stripe pattern with pink accents. Magnus and Alec had been dating for some time; Simon guessed Magnus could talk for the both of them. Behind Magnus and Alec, leaning against a stone wall, were Isabelle and Clary. Isabelle was leaning against the garden wall, looking over it and into the distance. She looked as if she were in the middle of posing for an unbelievably glamorous photo shoot."_

"As I always do," Stated Isabelle as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

" _Then again, she always did."_

Alec snorted and Clary had to pause in her reading to giggle.

" _It was her talent. Clary, however, was staring stubbornly up into Isabelle's face and talking to her. Simon thought Clary would get her way and get Isabelle to pay attention to her eventually. That was her talent."_

Jace laughed fondly and Alec nodded in agreement.

" _Looking at either of them caused a pang in his chest. Looking at both of them started a dull, steady ache. So instead Simon looked for his friend Jace, who was kneeling by himself in the overgrown grass and sharpening a short blade against a stone. Simon assumed Jace had his reasons for this; or possibly he just knew he looked cool doing it. Possibly he and Isabelle could do a joint photo shoot for Badass Monthly."_

"Now that's an idea," Jace said with a grin.

"I can see it now. We can start our own magazine. I could write a special article on how to kill demons and still look drop dead gorgeous doing it," Isabelle added.

Clary's emerald green eyes sparkled as she rolled them in fake exasperation and continued reading.

" _Everyone was assembled. Just for him. Simon would have felt both honored and loved, except mostly he felt weird, because he had only a few broken fragments of memory that said he knew these people at all, and a whole lifetime of memories that said they were armed, overly intense strangers. The kind you might avoid on public transportation."_

Simon cringed as all humourous mood in the group vanished instantly, replaced with sadness and hurt. Here we go, he thought with dread. Clary's voice explained that Isabelle and Alec's parents and the leaders of the clave were the ones that suggested Simon go to the Academy in the first place

" _Clary hadn't liked the idea. Isabelle had said absolutely nothing on the subject, but Simon knew she hadn't liked it either. Jace had argued that he was perfectly capable of training SImon in New York, had even offered to do it all himself and catch SImon up with Clary's training. SImon had thought that was touching, and he and Jace must be closer than he actually remembered them being, but the awful truth was that he didn't want to stay in New York. He didn't want to stay around them. He didn't think he could bear the constant expression on their faces- on Isabelle's and Clary's, most of all- of disappointed expectation. Every time they saw him, they recognized him and knew him and expected things of him. And every time he came up blank."_

Clary's voice faltered and Simon was horrified when he realized her eyes were shimmering with tears. Jace wrapped his arm around her in an attempt at comfort. Isabelle had completely turned around on the chair, hiding her face from everyone and it made Simon wonder if she was trying to hide tears too. Magnus's face was grim and filled with what Simon thought might have been guilt, and Jace and Alec were somber. Simon longed to say something, to fill the heavy silence with something comforting that would make it all better. He opened his mouth- and stopped. What could he possibly say? He thought back to his father's death. This was almost the same thing. These people had lost someone so important and precious to them, almost like a death, except it was worse. They couldn't tell themselves it was better this way and that the person they loved was in a better place, because he was right there. He was right there and couldn't remember them. Simon thought that in a way, it was almost worse than his death; for them at least. There was nothing he could say to fix that or ease that pain, nothing would fix it unless he magically got all his memories back and went back to being the old Simon they knew and loved, and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So with a heavy heart, Simon stayed silent as Clary quietly blew her nose into a tissue that Magnus had summoned, before she wiped her eyes, sniffled, and continued reading.

" _It was like watching someone digging where they knew they'd buried something precious, digging and digging and realizing that whatever it was- was gone. But they kept digging just the same, because the idea of losing was so terrible and because maybe. Maybe. He was that lost treasure. HE was that maybe. And he hated it. That was the secret he was trying to keep from them, the one he was always fearing he would betray."_

Too late now, Simon thought grimly. He had betrayed that secret without even realizing it was going to happen, the minute he decided to read that book.

" _He just had to get through this one last good-bye, and then he would be away from them until he was better, until he was closer to the person they all actually wanted to see. They they would not be disappointed in him, and he would not be strange to them. He would belong."_

Clary paused in her reading and regarded him with her sad doe eyes. "We're not disappointed in you, Simon. You definitely aren't strange to us, and you already belong. You might not have all of your memories back yet, but you don't have to do anything to prove yourself to us. We know you and we care about you. That's not really the problem. The problem is- you don't know us."

"Correction," Said Jace. "You don't know us, _yet_. So maybe most of your memories are gone about us- that doesn't mean you can't make more. You don't know who we are, but we are all willing to let you get to know us. This isn't some hopeless situation where you will never be able to be around us until you have all your memories back; we are right here, waiting for you to get to know us. Everyone has to start somewhere. It isn't as if we became friends instantly. You had to get to know us back then too, without any memories."

Simons throat felt tight again, and suddenly his eyes started watering. Damn allergies. Something must be blooming. "Thank's guys. That- that means a lot to me. I would love to get to know you again. Too bad you don't all have a book about your innermost desires and secrets, considering you're getting to know mine pretty fast through this darned book," He said with a lopsided grin, trying to lighten the mood. Clary chuckled and wiped at her eyes, but Isabelle still didn't turn around.

"Who knows. The letter said we would hear from them again. Maybe we will get some kind of book all about Magnus's past or something," Alec said jokingly.

"I can see it now. The Bane Chronicles," Simon said dramatically as he gestured for emphasis.

Magnus looked absolutely horrified at the idea and Clary laughed and started reading again. She read a conversation between Simon and Jace, and Alec, who was beginning to zone out, straightened up as he heard his name mentioned.

" _Okay, whatever. The thing is. . . Alec's always really quiet around me," Simon said. "Is he just shy, or did I tick him off and I don't remember it? I wouldn't like to go away without trying to make things right."_

Alec frowned and gave a small sigh. Why did he always come across rude or mad to people? He liked Simon; he was just never any good at expressing his emotions and it frustrated him to no end. He would have to try and talk to Simon later when they were alone and let him know that he wasn't angry at him.

" _Jace's expression took on that peculiar stillness again."_

"Oh, no," Clary groaned. "That's how you know he's messing with you. His face always goes blank when he's trying to hide something. He's probably going to give you some crazy story."

"I would never!" Jace exclaimed, pretending to be offended. Clary rolled her and found her place in the book again.

" _I'm glad you asked me that," he said finally. "There is something going on. The girls didn't want me to tell you, but the truth is-"_

" _Jace, stop monopolizing Simon," said Clary."_

The group chuckled and Clary read another paragraph.

" _Memories came, sometimes in an overwhelming and terrifying rush, but mostly in tiny shards, jigsaw pieces Simon could hardly make sense of. One piece was a flash of walking to school with Clary, her hand so little and his barely bigger. He'd felt big then, though, big and proud and responsible for her. He had been determined not to let her down."_

"And you never did," Stated Clary with a small smile. Simon smiled back.

" _Hey, Simon," she said now. Her eyes were bright with tears, and Simon knew they were all his fault."_

"It's not your fault," said Isabelle. Simon jumped in surprise. It was the first time she had spoken since he had upset her. She was now turned slightly in the chair, enough for him to see the blank mask she held. "It isn't your fault you lost your memories. And it isn't your fault that we get upset when you can't remember things. It's no one's fault." Simon blinked. He opened his mouth to speak. Simon wasn't quite sure what he had intended to say, something eloquent, or words that perfectly described his feelings towards her. Something that would finally close the space between them. What came out was a slightly stammered, "Thanks," instead. Magnus rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.

" _Hey, Clary. You take care of yourself," he said. I know you can." He paused. "And take care of Jace, that poor helpless blond." Jace made an obscene gesture, which actually did feel familiar to SImon, so he knew that was their thing."_

Jace laughed. Clary read as Catarina Loss walked around the side of the institute and asked if Simon was ready to go. Book Simon hugged Clary and a startled Jace, which made the group in Magnus's living room laugh, and his slightly embarrassing goodbye to Isabelle. The present Isabelle was back to staring out the window, and just like the book Simon, he thought she was probably taking everything a lot harder than she let on.

" _Okay," SImon said again, and retreated to Catarina Loss's side as she made the portal to go through to Idris, the country of the Shadowhunters. This parting was so painful and awkward and welcome that he could not quite appreciate how awesome it was to have magic done right in front of him. He waved good-bye to all these people he barely knew and somehow loved anyway, and he hoped they could not tell how relieved he was to be going."_

Clary finished the chapter and silence filled the room once again. It was only the beginning of the book but Simon already felt completely bare and vulnerable, as if everyone could see through him to all of his secrets no matter how hard he tried to hide them. He rubbed at his eyes. It was only noon but Simon felt drained and exhausted. With a snap of his fingers Magnus made another cup of coffee appear in front of him and Simon jumped before giving him a grateful smile.

"Well, It's my turn to read now, unless anyone needs a break?" Jace questioned. Simon desperately needed a break, but he did not believe he would have the willpower to sit back down and hand his soul over to the next person to be laid out bare if he did, so he mutely shook his head. Jace picked up the book and started the next chapter


End file.
